Sex offender arrested, accused of smacking child

EVERETT -- The assault suspect claimed the victim started it.That alleged explanation didn't convince Snohomish County Sheriff's Office deputies that his actions were justified.He's 43 and weighs 220 pounds; she's 2.Deputies arrested the Marysville area man Wednesday night after he allegedly whapped the toddler with a flyswatter. They were called to a home in the 17000 block of 25th Avenue NE around 9 p.m.The girl's father heard the impact of the swat from an adjoining room. The sound led him to believe that the suspect hit the child "really hard," which caused her to scream in pain, deputies wrote in a police report.The girl indicated that she was hit in the leg.The suspect is a registered sex offender who had been convicted of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.Police reports don't spell out the relationship with the girl's parents or whether they knew his history.The parents told police they wanted the suspect arrested, saying the man had no right to touch their child, let alone strike her with an object.Deputies said the man initially tried to hide in a bedroom he was renting and then barricaded the door. Officers could hear movement inside the room and eventually convinced him to give up.They found a flyswatter on his bed.The suspect stands 6 foot 3. He also is a suspect in two assault 2012 cases, deputies wrote in a police report.He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Wednesday night.Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com

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